TOKYO – Michael Page’s plan to get his rematch with Douglas Lima is pretty simple: Keep fighting until he can’t be denied.
Since suffering his first loss to Lima last May in the Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinals, Page (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) already has competed twice, knocking out Richard Kiely and Giovanni Melo, both in the first round.
Page is now set to enter his fifth fight of the year, when he takes on UFC veteran Shinsho Anzai this Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The Bellator 237 matchup airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN.
Page said he views the continued activity as an opportunity to climb his way back to a rematch with current Bellator welterweight champion Lima.
“Douglas Lima was speaking about me and said he’s never fought anybody as fast as me before and is excited and is looking forward to having that rematch,” Page told reporters including MMA Junkie Friday. “The second I won, he’s like, ‘Nah, you have to fight some more people.’ He was like, ‘Nah, I’m not even letting you come back that quick,’ so, it’s going to happen either way. There’s going to be a point where he’s not going to be able to stop it, and like I said, if I keep doing what I’m doing now, stay active, stay busy, keep beating people, then 100 percent he can’t stop it.”
MVP is known for thrilling fans with his flashy style and incredible knockouts, and in his first fight in Japan, he said he’s looking forward to entertaining a knowledgeable fanbase.
“My goal is to just – I should be doing so much crazy stuff that these guys can’t stop applauding,” Page said. “Just keep them the most active you’ve ever heard it – so that’s my goal.”
Page now takes on a tough and aggressive competitors, and while Page said he respects Anzai’s abilities, he doesn’t think the outcome will go any differently than any of his other wins.
“He’s a tough opponent, man,” Page said. “You can see by his record, you can see by the level that he’s fought at. He’s a wrestler-type as well, kind of stand-and-trade and like you say, in your face the whole night. He won’t fall easily, but I’ve said that about a few people as well, and I’ve changed them just because again, they kind of get a bit like a deer in the headlights when fighting me just because they haven’t seen it before so, they’re kind of like this is a bit – they hesitate or they over-exaggerate and plow forward and end up running into something devastating.”
To hear more from Page, check out the video above.
Michael Page: Douglas Lima can't deny rematch if I stay busy, keep winning
